Police conducted raids at dawn today on a private Kurdish language course and a bookstore in Diyarbakır as part of a "terrorism" investigation led by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The raids targeted the Mesopotamia Language and Culture Research Association (MED-DER) and Payîz Pîrtuk bookstore, resulting in several detentions.
Hundreds of books, magazines, and newspapers were also seized. Among the materials confiscated were 409 books and 144 periodicals that had not been previously ordered to be removed from shelves. Authorities allege that these publications promote the ideology and propaganda of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group.
Cihat Güney, the owner of Payîz Pîrtuk, was among those detained.
According to the Mezopotamya News Agency (MA), the investigation is based on statements from Ümit Akbıyık, a witness who has previously contributed to the arrests of hundreds of individuals on charges related to PKK activities, as well as an anonymous witness. (VK)